to combat meningitis
Disabilities of the disease are serious and the mortality rate reaches 10-15%.
Jeddah: «Asharq Al-Awsat»
The Ministry of Health in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is making strenuous efforts to combat meningitis, and to prevent its leakage into the country, especially during the Hajj and Umrah seasons, by obliging all pilgrims coming from outside the Kingdom, as well as domestic pilgrims, to bring evidence that they have recently received the quadruple vaccine, (i.e. during Period not exceeding 3 years). It has also worked to provide free vaccinations to domestic pilgrims in health centers and to entry points for pilgrims who have not been vaccinated with this vaccine. Among the efforts are also vaccination campaigns that include students in schools and residential neighborhoods in Makkah and workers in the health sector, in addition to providing treatments that are given to those in contact to get rid of the contamination of the microbe and other efforts that succeeded in limiting the spread of this disease, as the Hajj season in 1424 AH was free of Any case of meningococcal meningitis.
Meningitis - infectious diseases and pediatrics consultant, Dr. Asaad Hassan Alawi Tunisian, to "Al-Sharq Al-Awsat", and he defined the disease as also known as meningitis (which is the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord). It has several causes, including infection with germs such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, as well as parasites, and it may result as complications of tumors or some treatments. Among the most important of these causes is the infection with the bacterium Neiseria cocci (Neis seria Meningitides). The infection with this microbe is spread in many countries of the world in the form of sporadic cases throughout the year and may appear as an epidemic, as is the case in the African belt, sub-Saharan Africa, which extends to the west. From Senegal to Ethiopia in the far east, in 1995 - 1996, the disease affected 250 thousand people in the form of an epidemic, of whom about 25 thousand died, which indicates the severity of this disease, and several cases appeared in some previous Hajj seasons.
This type is considered one of the most dangerous types of meningitis, where the mortality rate of infected persons reaches 10-15%. The disease may also result in some disabilities such as paralysis of the limbs and deafness.
The disease is transmitted from the infected person directly, or from a person who has had contact with the patient, so carrying the germ to another person who did not contact the patient, and this is done by spraying the microbe while sneezing, coughing or kissing. The infection can also be transmitted through the use of the patient''s personal belongings, such as pads, which may be loaded with the microbe, and the most vulnerable people to infection are those in direct contact with the patient, that is, those who live with him, as well as people who suffer from colds or laryngitis where the resistance of the mucous membranes to the system weakens Respiratory system, which facilitates the entry of bacteria into the blood and thus the occurrence of disease.
Symptoms of the disease - the incubation period for this disease, which is the period between the entry of bacteria into the body and the onset of symptoms, ranges from two to 10 days, with an average of approximately 4 days. The symptoms of the disease are summarized in a sudden rise in temperature accompanied by head and neck pain, a feeling of fatigue, frequent vomiting, discomfort with light, and a rash may appear in the form of small red blisters or hemorrhagic spots, and in advanced cases the patient may lose consciousness and may have convulsions.
And about treatment of meningitis, Dr. says. Tunisian: “Due to the severity of the disease and its complications, it is considered an emergency case that must be treated quickly, as the patient is given the appropriate antibiotic intravenously without delay and the necessary tests are carried out, including taking a sample of the spinal fluid from the spinal cord through a needle biopsy. In the lower back, where the patient receives treatment in the hospital for a period ranging from one week to ten days if there are no complications.
All contacts of the patient, especially those who share an analgesic with him, are identified, and appropriate preventive treatment is given (which is one dose of ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone for adults, or rifampin for two days for children), as soon as possible to eliminate the germ that may have moved into the device Respiratory contact for contacts, and their names are registered and followed up for a week to treat any new cases that appear in contacts.
And about ways to prevent this disease, Dr. says. Tunisian that there are about 12 species of these bacteria, the most famous of which are A, B, C, Y, W135, and there are several vaccines to prevent this disease according to the species, there is the dual A / C vaccine, and there is the quadruple A / C / Y / W135 vaccine, and there is the vaccine Type C, and this latter type has been combined with other vaccines to give better immunity and for a longer period, and its use is limited to some European countries, where infection with this type is more frequent. These vaccines are safe as they only produce local (temporary) pain in some people. The effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing disease ranges from 85-100%. However, one of its shortcomings is that any vaccine only protects against the species included in that vaccine, and the effect of the vaccine is barely more than three years, in addition to its ineffectiveness in children under the age of two years (except for the combined vaccine of type C) and finally not. It is scientifically and conclusively known whether the repeated administration of the vaccine every 3 years is beneficial. Rather, its results may be counterproductive according to some studies on the type C vaccine, which cannot be generalized to other vaccines.
